UPPER MERION ­­— Two Catholic parishes in Bridgeport will be combined with Sacred Heart Church (SHC) on Jefferson Street, Upper Merion, beginning July 1, and the members of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (OLMC) in Bridgeport are vigorously appealing that decision by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

A canon appeal will be filed by Philadelphia attorney Patricia Dugan before the Tuesday deadline after more than 250 members of OLMC signed a “mandate” authorizing the appeal on June 5. More than 350 parishioners crowded the pews at the Bridgeport church on June 4 to hear Dugan explain the appeal process.

The Italian membership of OLMC decided to cancel the annual, three-day Bridgeport Feast because the planned dates for the feast in July fell after the church merger was scheduled to take place. However, SHC members have plans to hold the three-day, 43rd annual Polish Festival in late July, said David Swedkowski, a member of SHC for nearly two years.

Swedkowski, 23, of West Norriton, has been closely following the archdiocesan decision to make SHC the active church with two priests assigned to it, while OLMC and St. Augustine remain open as “worship sites.” He has volunteered at the Polish Festival.

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The administrative intern for the Norristown planning department said that one of the misconceptions about the decision-making process by the church selection committee was that the committee’s decision was clear-cut.

“The reality was that it was a very close vote,” said Swedkowski, who was not a member of the committee. “The committee recommended making Mount Carmel the parish church.

The committee included representatives from OLMC, SHC, St. Augustine and Mother of Divine Providence Church in Upper Merion.

“A committee of Sacred Heart members decided we wanted to do something about the possible closing. In January we hired a canon law advisor, Peter Borre of Boston, Mass. He met with about 50 church members in early March,” Swedkowski said.

Borre advised the Sacred Heart parishioners on what to say to archdiocesan officials this spring, Swedkowski said.

Several members of Sacred Heart wrote letters to the archdiocese pleading the case to keep the Upper Merion church open. It is unclear why the archdiocese chose Sacred Heart Church.

SHC parishioners held fundraisers at Chick-fil-A in April and at Petrucci’s Ice Cream in May to raise money for the appeal. On May 31, the Rev. Tadeusz Gorka announced at the evening Mass that Sacred Heart Church members had prevailed and the Upper Merion church would be staffed with two priests, including the Rev. Timothy O’Sullivan from Immaculate Conception Church in Levittown, Bucks County.

“What set us apart was the parking we have. We have a huge parking lot across the street that could easily accommodate a large number of parishioners,” Swedkowski said. “The church is solvent and has no debt. The feast proceeds in 2013 were about $30,000.”

Swedkowski was charitable about the Mount Carmel appeal that is about to be filed with the archdiocese.

“I’m glad they want to save their parish. It is a lot of work to organize the appeal. I hope they can bring that passion to the combined parish,” he said. “I’m interested in celebrating the traditions of each church. It is worth celebrating the church community as a whole.”

Swedkowski said he wanted to “emphasize the positive. This is a way to tell Sacred Heart’s story and explain the facility situation. I want us to take the best of all three parishes.”